Saturday, November 18th, 2023.- Para Table Tennis witnessed a historic day on the third day of competition at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games when four of its representatives secured gold medals in the competition held at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico.

The first medal was claimed by Luis Flores, seventh in the world rankings and silver medalist at Lima 2019, in the male's Singles Class 2 category, defeating Canadian Peter Ishergood (3-0), Brazilian Guilherme Marciao (3-0), and another Brazilian, Iranildo Espindola, by a similar score.

Next was Florencia Pérez, a 14-year-old athlete and the youngest member of Team Para Chile. She won the female's Singles Class 8 final against Brazil's Sophia Kelmer by 3-1 (12-10, 10-12, 11-5, 11-9).

The excitement continued at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico. Maximiliano Rodríguez won the male's Singles Class 4 final against Chilean Cristian González in three sets with scores of 11-6, 11-3, and 11-8. This victory surpassed Rodríguez's performance at Lima 2019, where he secured the bronze medal.

The historic day concluded with the medal won by Tamara Leonelli, who claimed the top prize in the female's Singles Class 4-5 final by defeating Nayla Kuell in five competitive sets, with scores of 2-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, and 11-6.

It's important to note that gold medals secure direct qualification spots for the upcoming Paralympic Games in Paris 2024.

Para Table Tennis is a sport for athletes with physical and intellectual disabilities, featuring individual, team, and doubles events in both male and female categories. Additionally, athletes compete in eleven classes based on their disability: wheelchair (Classes 1-5), standing (Classes 6-10), and intellectual disability (Class 11).

Written by Ernesto Bustos B. – Arturo Hernández; translated by Vicente Valdivia / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Photo by Pepe Alvujar / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport